Recent changes to Georgia’s adoption process, implemented since November 2023, have introduced numerous additional requirements that adoption lawyers say are causing significant delays and financial burdens for adoptive families, making the state less “adoption-friendly.” Lawyers argue these new rules are open-ended, frequently changing, and unnecessary, as they have not encountered evidence of human trafficking in their cases. Families are reportedly facing extended stays in hotels with newborns due to the prolonged process, leading to trauma and frustration.

Conversely, adoption agency owners, birth mothers, and advocates defend the stricter regulations as essential for ensuring the safety and legality of adoptions in an era complicated by the internet and adoption consultants. They emphasize that these measures prevent exploitation and human trafficking, which remains a real concern, citing instances of unregulated child custody transfers. Support is growing for model legislation, such as the Uniform Unregulated Child Custody Transfer Act, to provide oversight and protect children from illicit custody arrangements.